


Welcome Home

by treya_barton



Category: Tales of Zestiria
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-29
Updated: 2018-05-29
Packaged: 2019-05-15 06:48:11
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,048
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14785529
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/treya_barton/pseuds/treya_barton
Summary: A fic I wrote for HanakoFujioka for her birthday ^^  It's a SorMik AU where Sorey is an archaeologist who travels a lot to go on digs and Mikleo is a history professor.





	Welcome Home

**Author's Note:**

  * For [AntisocialSocialite](https://archiveofourown.org/users/AntisocialSocialite/gifts).



Sorey stretched as he got out from his car, staring up at the apartment he shared with his boyfriend.  It had been almost a month since he had last been home, and he missed the other man dearly.  ‘He’s going to probably pretend like he didn’t miss me at all,’ Sorey grinned to himself as he grabbed his suitcase out of the backseat.  His bags containing his equipment he’d just leave in the trunk so he could take them back to the office in the morning. 

Sorey was dressed in a navy blue button up tucked in, belted dark pants suitable for the outdoors, and his sturdy, albeit dusty and well-worn boots.  Unlike Mikleo, who liked to take care of his appearance and always dressed the part in well-tailored clothing, Sorey always looked a bit of a mess, whether it was his often soil covered clothes or his disheveled brown hair.  His determined green eyes were always looking forward to his next dig or research topic, and he didn’t have time to deal with something as unimportant as his appearance.  He had to figure he was lucky Mikleo fell in love with him regardless.

When he finally walked up three flights of stairs to his apartment and unlocked the door, he was immediately hit with the smell of mabo curry, which was a common dish from where he and Mikleo had grown up.  Mikleo, who used to struggle making anything that wasn’t a frozen dessert, had finally mastered cooking without burning the food and it smelled amazing.  He was currently standing at the stove, feathered white hair perfectly arranged, cyan apron covering his blue sweater vest with white trim and white button up, and gray slacks that fit his frame perfectly.  Even though there’s no way he could have missed Sorey opening the door, Mikleo’s beautiful amethyst eyes remained trained on the pot of food.  “You’re home early,” he said casually as Sorey took off his shoes and went to drop off his suitcase in their room.

“Because I couldn’t wait to see you!” Sorey called cheerfully from the bedroom as Mikleo immediately looked flustered.  He quickly smoothed his expression back to neutral as his boyfriend wandered back into the kitchen.  That is until Sorey rested his head on Mikleo’s shoulder, arms finding their way around his waist as he said into his ear, “Dinner smells amazing.”  Mikleo immediately stiffened, and Sorey pouted as he pulled away.

“Don’t bother me while I’m cooking,” Mikleo chastised, shooing him into the living room. The normally cluttered room had been neatly tidied while Sorey was gone, and he sighed before grabbing one of his books off the shelf and making himself comfortable.  He didn’t know why Mikleo insisted on pretending he hadn’t been lonely with Sorey gone on his dig every single time.  It was like he was afraid if he expressed himself Sorey wouldn’t leave to pursue his dream anymore.  Sorey couldn’t help but smile slightly at that – Mikleo had always been incredibly thoughtful, even if he tried to hide it.

Soon dinner was ready, and Sorey joined Mikleo at the table, pointedly moving his bowl and place setting so it was sitting next to Mikleo instead of across from him.  Mikleo had also lit some candles and dimmed the lighting to make it more romantic.  He rolled his eyes at Sorey’s action, but he didn’t seem to mind.  “How did the dig go?” he asked politely, and Sorey immediately launched into an eager retelling of events.  Mikleo smiled fondly as he spoke, appreciating his boyfriend’s enthusiasm for a subject they both felt passionate about. 

While Sorey worked in the field as an archeologist, Mikleo was a history professor and would occasionally join him on his digs during the summer or winter breaks.  Over the course of their longstanding friendship and their relationship, they had held many debates over whether certain ruins or sites were from one period of history or another based on architecture and artifacts found.  Their friends, especially Edna and Rose, referred to them as ruins nerds, even if they tolerated their banter occasionally.  As Mikleo watched Sorey speak, occasionally interjecting to comment or ask a clarifying question, he felt relaxed for the first time in a month.  Whenever Sorey was away, Mikleo found it hard to focus, for even as children they had been close friends and spent most of their time together. 

Sorey must have noticed Mikleo’s expression, for his emerald eyes gazed at him warmly as he set his spoon into his empty bowl and pushed it aside.  He rested his head on his hand as he looked into Mikleo’s questioning gaze and smiled slightly before saying, “You know, you can let me know you’re happy to see me,” his expression light and teasing.  “You’re not the only one lonely when I’m away.  You should never hold yourself back from me.”  His tone was lightly scolding at that part, and Mikleo let out a deep sigh before placing his hand on the table and standing up.

He then stepped toward his boyfriend, leaning forward and bracing his hand on the back of Sorey’s chair so he could look him directly.  Sorey looked back at him patiently, his usual smile in his eyes as he stared into Mikleo’s flashing, tormented gaze.  “I missed you,” Mikleo finally admitted, and Sorey smiled before cupping Mikleo’s face with his hand. 

He gently ran his fingers through Mikleo’s feathery hair before replying, “I missed you too.”  He beamed at Mikleo, whose amethyst eyes softened at his touch.  Sorey then scooped Mikleo into his lap with a laugh as the other man complained, trapping him in his arms and resting his forehead against his boyfriend’s.  They cuddled there together for a moment, before Mikleo impatiently pulled back and began to place featherlight kisses along Sorey’s jaw.  Sorey’s eyes darkened as he cut Mikleo off, angling his head to capture lips instead.

Mikleo sighed into the kiss, immediately wrapping his arms around Sorey’s neck so he could pull himself closer.  Sorey’s mouth tasted like the curry they just finished, which Mikleo found enticing since he was the one who had cooked it.  And as with everything that interested him, Sorey was an enthusiastic kisser, and he soon had Mikleo out of breath as he fully explored the other man’s mouth.  It didn’t take long for Mikleo to switch things up, and he soon ran his dexterous fingers through Sorey’s hair and pulled away to press a kiss to the sensitive spot on his neck, smiling at the moan that escaped his lips.  “Mikleo,” he groaned crushing his boyfriend against his chest as Mikleo deftly ran his tongue along Sorey’s sensitive skin, shuddering as he quickly grew overstimulated.

Before they could move things forward, Mikleo chuckled and pulled back, grinning at Sorey’s confused and hazy gaze.  “You know, there was a time when I thought you were too naïve to ever attempt something like this,” he mused, moving to get off Sorey’s lap.

Sorey grabbed at his arms to stop him, but Mikleo shook his head.  “Look, I made homemade ice cream to welcome you home, and I am not letting it go to waste,” he said sternly, and Sorey pouted before letting him go.

“I was never as naïve as you used to think,” Sorey replied grumpily as Mikleo headed into the kitchen to dish out the ice cream.  Mikleo knew that the moment he took a bite Sorey would immediately forgive him, however, for his homemade ice cream had always been Sorey’s favorite.  “It’s not my fault you always read too much into things!” he added.

Mikleo sighed and shook his head.  Back when they were in high school, he had finally admitted to himself that he had feelings for Sorey, but he hadn’t known how to tell his best friend.  He didn’t want to alienate him or ruin their friendship, so he struggled with his feelings which was made even more difficult by how touchy they had always been with each other.  When they both had gone to college together, rooming in the same dorm and taking most of the same classes since they were both taking history and anthropology courses, Mikleo had finally made up his mind to confess his feelings.  That had been a very awkward conversation, especially when Sorey had asked in confusion, “You mean we aren’t already dating?”

Mikleo had been angry for weeks, until Sorey’s patience and positivity had finally calmed him down and they had started officially dating for real.  Mikleo found himself blushing in embarrassment again just thinking about it as he scooped some of his famous vanilla ice cream into Sorey’s bowl.  He already had chocolate sauce and whipped cream to top it with in order to turn it into a sundae.  “I still can’t believe you thought we were dating,” he said through clenched teeth as he brought both bowls back to the table.

Sorey immediately took a bite with a happy grin before looking at Mikleo thoughtfully.  “I mean, you were always all over me and neither of us ever seemed interested in anyone else,” Sorey shrugged.  “I loved you and knew you loved me back so I figured it was just natural.”

Mikleo covered his face with his hands and let out a deep sigh.  “This is why I thought you were naïve,” he groaned, and Sorey just grinned.

“I mean, I was right in the end, wasn’t I?” he asked cheerfully.  Mikleo rolled his eyes – honestly, Sorey’s innocence was half his charm, even if the other half of it was he wasn’t nearly as innocent as he seemed.  He had found that out quickly after they had made things official, and Sorey had shown him just how attractive he found him.  For now, Mikleo just smiled and enjoyed having his boyfriend back with him again.

That summer, when it was time for Sorey to leave to visit an archeological site, he invited Mikleo along with him.  Mikleo used these trips as a basis for his research papers which he would work on during the summer; since he was trying to one day gain tenure, he needed to produce a lot of content in order to capture the dean of the history department’s attention.  He also loved getting the chance to explore the ruins in person, and of course getting to spend time with his love.  After several days of exploration, bantering over which age the ruins were built, and stopping for Sorey to take samples or document a certain artifact, they were unfortunately coming upon their last day at the site.  Sorey would have to head back to the lab to do tests in order to date the objects and verify their age, and to clean up some of the artifacts that a museum had commissioned them to bring in.  He would be returning to the site at a later date, but at that point Mikleo would be busy working on a book and wouldn’t be able to join him.

Mikleo watched carefully as Sorey walked confidently ahead of him, dressed in cargo pants and a t-shirt with his green plaid shirt tied around his waist due to the heat.  He had on his trusty boots and appeared to be in his element, even if he had seemed a touch jumpy all day.  Mikleo had opted for jeans and a cyan button up with shirt pockets and likewise had his cotton jacket that he had been wearing earlier in the morning tied around his waist.  Unlike Sorey who had gotten some dirt on himself here and there, Mikleo had managed to keep himself clean, even if he did have a light sheen of sweat covering his face from the heat outside.  Luckily within the ruins it was slightly cooler, which made their job tolerable.

Mikleo had been hearing a thundering noise coming from somewhere within the ruins for several minutes, and he began to wonder what it was.  He had mentioned it to Sorey, who had just grinned mysteriously before continuing to lead the way.  Mikleo began to grow suspicious, especially since at breakfast his boyfriend had seemed nervous about something.  Sorey led them into an inner chamber in the ruin that Mikleo hadn’t seen before, and he quickly realized the sound he had been hearing was coming from a natural waterfall located in the middle of the ruins which lead to a spring that they had been built upon.  “It’s beautiful,” Mikleo breathed, reaching for his camera to snap a picture.  He had always had an affinity for water and was touched that Sorey would think to surprise him in a such a way.

He was thus woefully unprepared when he turned around to see Sorey kneeling and holding out a ring.  Mikleo’s breath caught in his throat as Sorey said, “I figured I should ask this time instead of just assuming,” and attempted to sound smooth instead of appearing as nervous as he did.

Mikleo brought his hand up to his mouth in surprise, light tears coming to his eyes.  They had been dating for almost a decade by now, and he had honestly by this point given up on expecting anything out of Sorey.  Just like back in high school, he had managed to surprise him again.  “You really mean it?” Mikleo slipped, surprising himself as he said it.  “I mean…” he tried to backtrack.

Sorey patiently smiled, seeming more at ease now that Mikleo was flustered.  “Of course,” he said, before opening his arms and beckoning Mikleo forward.  Mikleo quickly threw himself onto Sorey, who caught him easily and pulled him close.

“Of course I’ll marry you, frustrating man,” Mikleo sighed, and Sorey chuckled.  He then pulled back slightly to show Mikleo the ring.  It was an antique stylized after one of Mikleo’s favorite time periods and was made of silver.  Mikleo shyly held out his hand, and Sorey blushed happily as he slid the ring onto Mikleo’s finger.  It was, of course, a perfect fit.

“We’ll have to pick out something for you that matches,” Mikleo mused, finding himself yet again sitting in Sorey’s lap.

“Hmm…not from that time period though,” Sorey replied, and Mikleo rolled his eyes.  Just as with most things, they both disagreed on what period of history was better than another.  It made it even more touching that Sorey had picked out one Mikleo had liked instead of going for his own tastes.

“They didn’t use rings back then,” Mikleo countered, and Sorey grinned.

“We’ll figure out something,” he said cheerfully, and Mikleo couldn’t help but move forward to kiss his charming smile away.  Sorey happily leaned into the kiss, deftly capturing Mikleo’s lips and using one hand to pull him closer.  They remained there for several minutes, blissfully unaware of their surroundings, until they heard a throat clear nearby and pulled apart to see their friend Alisha trying not to look at them with a blush on her face.  The polite blond was part of Sorey’s team, and currently sported a side ponytail and was wearing a baby blue hoodie and jeans for the dig.  Back home, she tended to dress more girly.

“I’m sorry to interrupt, but we were about the head back to camp for lunch,” she said, before she caught sight of Mikleo’s ring and her eyes widened.  “Did Sorey just?” she gasped, and Mikleo nodded.  He was still sitting comfortably in Sorey’s lap and casually lifted his hand up so Alisha could see the ring. 

She squealed excitedly, before saying, “Wait until the others hear!”

Mikleo immediately blanched, already imagining the harassment he would get from Zaveid, Edna, and Rose along with weird innuendo from Lailah.  The only one who probably wouldn’t care was Dezel.  “Could we just…hold off on that?” he asked hopefully.

“Zaveid already knows.  He helped me plan this,” Sorey admitted, and Mikleo was immediately crushed.  If Zaveid was aware, it wouldn’t be long until everyone else knew too.

Sure enough, as they headed back out of the ruins and into a signal area, Alisha got a text from Rose asking excitedly if the “ruins nerds” were engaged yet.  Mikleo got one as well from Edna that simply said, “Congratulations Engagemeebo,” which caused Mikleo to sigh and close out of the messaging app.  Sorey had one from Zaveid as well exclaiming that he better have gone through with it because he had already let it slip to Lailah and thus the rest of their friends.  Lailah was terrible at covering up that she knew something, and if she hadn’t promised to keep it a secret she easily spread the news.

Alisha giggled as they discussed their friend’s reactions at lunch.  “We’re all just happy to see you both take the next step,” she explained.  “It took a long time.  I mean, you already acted like an old married couple, why not make it official?”

“Rose told you to say that, didn’t she,” Mikleo replied, and Alisha blushed slightly before nodding.

Sorey looked amused, and he wrapped a comforting arm around his fiancé.  “It’ll be ok, Mikleo,” he said soothingly.  “Whatever happens, we’ve got each other.”

Mikleo sighed, before giving him a soft smile.  “I suppose so.  But if Edna comes up with yet another nickname for me, I may just scream.”

They all grinned before enjoying their lunch, since afterward they would be packing up and heading back to the city.  Mikleo couldn’t help but smile down at the ring on his finger, before glancing up at the man who had captured his heart as children and never let go.  Sorey noticed his gaze and turned to face him, head slightly tilted as he waited for Mikleo to say something.  Instead, he just smiled before leaning forward and brushing his lips against his fiancé’s lightly.  “I love you,” he said honestly, and Sorey’s eyes softened. 

Sorey tenderly returned the kiss before saying against Mikleo’s lips, “I love you too,” and pulling back.  He gently cupped Mikleo’s face, while Alisha secretly took a picture to share with their friends.  Their moment soon had to come to an end, however, as they were forced to help pack up.  This trip would certainly be one neither of them would ever forget.


End file.
